Meet the site
The Pines is a coffee-rock wall that runs north-south about 100 m off the beach on the western side of Moreton Island, between Bulwer and Cowan Cowan. The Adreno guide puts its length at around 500 m, and it is usually run as a drift dive on the incoming tide, which carries divers along the wall past ledges, overhangs and scattered bommies. Depths range from about 6 m on the top to 25 m, with most of the interest around 14-15 m. Coffee rock – compacted sand and organic material that erodes into ledges and holes – gives the wall a textured, undercut profile that suits wobbegongs, and they are common here. The fish life is plentiful for an inshore bay site: large schools of trevally, batfish, fusiliers and barracuda, turtles and gropers, stingrays on the sand below the wall, and lionfish in the overhangs. Nigel Marsh also notes pineapplefish and nudibranchs for those who look into the cracks. Because the dive covers ground, it offers variety in a single tank and makes a good second dive after the deeper Curtin Artificial Reef, a short hop to the south. It is also used for night dives. Visibility is typically 8-10 m, which is normal for Moreton Bay. Divers should be comfortable with drift techniques – staying with a buddy, controlling buoyancy in current and deploying a DSMB – but the depth and profile make it manageable for open-water divers under guidance. It is one of the more reliable bay dives when the ocean side is blown out.
What you might see
Wobbegongs, turtles, gropers, trevally, batfish, fusiliers, barracuda, stingrays, lionfish, pineapplefish, nudibranchs
Location
Coffee-rock wall and scattered bommies running north-south about 100 m off the western beach of Moreton Island between Bulwer and Cowan Cowan.
Facilities nearby
Departure facilities at Manly or Scarborough; Bulwer has a small store and camping nearby.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
supercatcharters.com.aumarinelife.org.auadreno.com.aunigelmarshphotography.comRecord updated 27 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.